Where the Young and Wealthy Are

Deck

If you're looking for up-and-coming power players, the best place in America to look is the Washington, D.C., area. That's according to Nielsen Claritas' new demographic report, which spotlights the cities with the highest concentrations of people aged 25-34 who earn more than $100,000 a year. D.C. is hardly a surprise. More interesting is the fact that two Colorado counties---Douglas and Broomfield---make the top 10 (fifth and 10th, respectively). "In 1990 you had a lot more concentration of this demographic in the heartland and in Texas, likely driven by the oil economy, and some of the agribusiness," says Michael Mancini, vice president of data product management for The Nielsen Company. "But now, there's a densification of young money into the major metros." The numbers come amid the steepest decline in the economy since the Great Depression--a time when the gap between most affluent Americans and everyone else could finally shrink. But, as The Wall Street Journal writes, "If so, it won't be by lifting up the bottom. It will be by pulling down the top." Meanwhile, the number of Coloradans collecting unemployment benefits is easing from historic highs in June: 70,582 Coloradans collected benefits as of August 22, down 10.4 percent from June 13, according to the Denver Business Journal.